Method and apparatus for unwrapping a coil of metal stock



p 6 A. D. SMITH 2,762,418

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNWRAPPING A COIL 0F METAL. STOCK FilQd Oct.31, 1952.

9 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. BEEN SMITH BY Cg? ATTORNEY Sept. 11, 1956 A.D. SMITH 2,762,418

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNWRAPPING A COIL OF METAL STOCK Filed oct 51,1952 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. fi- D3223) MITH flTTORNEY A. D. SMITHSept. 11, 1956 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNWRAPPING A COIL OF METAL STOCKFiled Oct. 31, 1952 9 Sheets-Sheet :s

INVENTOR. f5. DEAN 5M1 TH ETTORNEY Sept. 11, 1956 METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR UNWRAPPING A COIL OF METAL STOCK Filed Oct. 31, 1952 9 Sheets-Sheet4 INVENTOR. i3- EBN M 1TB ATTORNE Sept. 11, 1956 A. D? SMITH METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR UNWRAPPING A COIL OF METAL STOCK 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledOct. 31, 1952 INVENTOR. A DEAN SMITH Q n 0 FA ATTORNEY A. D. SMITH Sept.11, 1956 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNWRAPPING A COIL OF METAL STOCK FiledOct. 31, 1952 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 W V1 ,N mm m .N, T NW A i B 3 Wow A. D.SMITH Sept. 11, 1956 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNWRAPPING A COIL OF METALSTOCK Filed Oct. 31, 1952 9, Sheets-Sheet 7 FIG-5.

INVENTOR. A EJAN MITH 5 ATTORNEY 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 A. D. SMITH METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR UNWRAPPING A COIL OF METAL STOCK Filed 0C. 31, 1952 Sept.11, 1956 INVENTOR. f5- EHN SMITH Sept..11, 1956 A. D. SMITH 2,

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNWRAPPING A COIL QF METAL STOCK Filed Oct. 51,1952 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 FIG-.7.

INVENTOR. A. DEAN SMITH BTTORNEY United States Patent METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR UNWRAPPING A COIL OF NIETAL STOCK Arthur Dean Smith,Spokane, Wash., assignor to Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation,Oakland, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application October 31, 1952,Serial No. 318,028

22 Claims. (Cl. 153-54) This invention relates to a method and apparatusfor unwinding coils of metal stock. More particularly, it is concernedwith providing a novel method and apparatus for quickly and etficientlydisengaging the tail end of a coil of sheet material from the remainderof a coil and for thereafter squaring and delivering this freed endportion of the coil to a metal working device, While maintaining thecoil in proper alignment therewith.

Various devices have been developed in the past for unwrapping coils ofmetal and for feeding the unwrapped portions of the coil to a metalworking machine. These have not always proven satisfactory for one ormore reasons.

Certain of these devices were so constructed they could not be usedwithout scarring or marking portions of the coils while other machinesused to pry the tail end of the coil from the remainder of the coilcause undesirable creases or bends to be made in the sheet metal aresult which is not only commercially unacceptable, but also to preventthe sheet metal from being properly threaded between the rolls of asubsequent metal working machine.

Since it is commonly accepted practice in. the metal working industry tocoil the strip metal tightly, whenever it is necessary to unwrap thecoil, the free tail end of: the coil, which forms a part of the lastwrap of the coil, must first be pried loose from the remainder of thetightly wound coil.

Furthermore, additional care must be exercised during the removal of thetail portion and last wrap of the coil from the remainder of the coil sothat the uncoiling will take place without causing a telescoping of thecoil, which would then result in feeding the strip off center to themetal working machine.

A further disadvantage inherent in the use of certain of the tailpulling devices employed in the past is that they were not alwayscapable of maintaining sufficient tension on the last wrap of the coilduring the tail pulling operation so that looping and buckling occurredin the strip.

In using other tail pulling devices it also was necessary to employ anumber of workmen who would catch the loose end of the coil with theirhands, after it had been pried loose from the coil. These workmen wouldthen manually thread the loose end of the coil through various workingrolls into the metal working machine. The dangerous working conditionspresented thereby are obvious.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel devicefor disengaging the tail of a coil of strip material from the remainderof the coil, which canbe used with a minimum amount of damage to thesurface of the strip material.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel coil tailpulling device, which can be used to disengage the tail end of the coilfrom the remainder of the coil quickly and efliciently.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel coil tailpulling device, which will disengage the final wrap of strip materialfrom the remainder of the coil, and thereafter feed the coil to anothermetal working device in a straight horizontal line and Without causing atelescoping of the coil. I

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel coil tail pullingdevice for disengaging the last wrap of a coil from the remainder of thecoil along a line parallel to the axis of the coil.

Another object of this invention is to provide a coil tail pullingdevice having novel means for grasping the tail of the coil, and forinitially unwinding the coil.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel coiitailpulling device for use in disengaging the tail of a coil from theremainder of the coil, which can perform all of the necessary operationsefficiently while requiring but a minimum amount of manual work.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel coil tailpulling device for use in disengaging the tail of a coil from theremainder of the coil having novel means for tensioning the unwrappedportions of the coil so as to prevent unnecessary bending and folding ofthe said unwrapped'portions of the coil, while the tail end portion isbeing disengaged from the remainder of the coil.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel method ofunwrapping a coil of strip metal.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel method ofunwrapping a coil of strip metal and thereafter feeding the unwrappedportions of the coil to a metal working apparatus while maintaining thecoil in proper alignment with the latter device.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel method ofunwrapping a coil of metal and of squaring the free tail portion of thecoil so that it may be conveniently and properly threaded in the rollsof ametal working apparatus. a

These and other objects are accomplished by providing a novel tailpulling apparatus which'includes a carriage movable axially of and alongthe outer periphery of a coil forthe entire width thereof. r

A plurality of cooperating rolls are mounted lengthwise on the carriage.A wedge-shaped member is also mounted on the carriage adjacent theforward end of the cooperating rolls. Suitable means are employed formoving the carriage forward axially of and along the outer periphery ofthe coil adjacent the free tail of the coil so that the wedge-shapedmember and the rolls can be successively inserted between the last wrapof the coil including the free tail portion thereof and the rest of thecoil, thereby causing the last wrap of coil and the free tail portion tobe disengaged from the remainder of the coil. Thereafter, the coil isrotated by means of the aforesaid rolls which grip the tail end of thecoil and cause it to be fed in a straight line to a metal workingmachine such as a rolling mill.

Suitable shearingmeans may also be interposed between the tail pullingdevice and the rolling mill so that the leading edge of the coil may beproperly squared prior to its entry into the rolling mill.

Other objects and advantages of the instant invention will become moreapparent from a review of the following detailed description, when takenin conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein:

Figures 1 and 1a constitute a side'elevational view of the tail pullingdevice of the instant invention;

Figures 2 and 2a constitute a plan view of the apparatus shown inFigures 1 and 1a;

Figure3 is an enlarged broken side elevational view of the lower forwardportion of the tail pulling device;

Figure 4 is an enlarged broken plan view of that portion of the tailpulling apparatus which is shown in Figure 4 with the coil which isengaged by the apparatus being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 6 is an end view partially broken of the coil cradle apparatusused with the tail pulling device of the instant invention showing itsposition with respect to a metal working machine such as a rolling milland with a suitable shearing device disposed therebetween;

Figure 7 is an end view of the tail pulling device when taken alonglines 77 of Figure 1. i

In the preferred embodiment of the invention and as indicated in Figures1, 1a, 2 and 2a, the tail pulling apparatus of the instant invention maybe generally comprised of the upstanding framework 10, which includesthe upright members 11 and 12 mounted on floor 2 of arolling mill,bridging members 13 and the upper crossbraces or frame members 14. Apair of tracks 15 is located on top of the upright members 11 and 12along which the rollers 16 affixed to a movable carriage 17 are adaptedto travel.

Dependingly attached to the carriage 17 are a plurality of downwardlyprojecting cradle arms 18. All of these latter arms 18 are spaced asuitable distance apart. Attached to the lower portion of certain of theprojecting arms 18 is a horizontal shelf 19. Mounted on shelf 19 is agear box 20, the function of which will be described later. Mounted onthe top portion of the carriage 17 is an electrical motor 21 adapted todrive a shaft 22 which is attached to suitable gears (not shown) in agear box 23 by means of the coupling 24. Gear box 23 contains suitablereduction gears which in turn are adapted to control the rotation of apulley 25 affixed to the shaft 26 which protrudes from the other end ofthe gear box housing 23. v

A pulley chain 27 connects pulley 25 to a second pulley 28 connected toa shaft 29, which shaft in turn is connected to suitable gears locatedin the gear box or housing 20, which gears operate to move the rolls 36of the tail pulling device in a manner to be described later.

A pair of hydraulic cylinders 32 are suitably affix'ed to the upperframe members 14. Piston rods 33 are attached by means of the couplings34 to the horizontal transverse bar member 35 on the movable carriage17. Cylinders 32 and rods 33 are operated by any suitable means.Accordingly, it will be now observed that upon reciprocation of thepiston rods 33 within hydraulic cylinders 32, the carriage 17 will bemoved forward or backward depending upon the direction of the stroke ofthe piston rods 33 in cylinders 32.

Also affixed to certain of the depending members 18 adjacent thehorizontal platform 19 is a group of rolls 36. This grouping of rollsincludes a pair of pinch rolls 37 and 38 and bending rolls 39 and 40which are located on the side of the pinch rolls 37 and 38 which isclosest to the metal working device. Roll 37 is journaled at itsextremities in vertically adjustable bearing members or blocks 42 and44. Roll 38 is journaled in. the vertically fixed bearing members 43 and45. Roll 39 is jdurn'aled in a fixed bearing member 44 thereof at theforward end and at the other extremity in a fixed bearing member (notshown). Roll 40 is journaled in a fixed bearing member (not shown) atthe rearward end thereof and at the forward end to a fixed bearingmember 45'.

By referring to Figures 1, 4 and 5, it will be noted that the bearing orjournaling members 43, 45 and 45' and the other bearing member for roll40 are suitably mounted upon the carriage 17 with journaling members 45and 45' being located in suitable openings or recesses located in atapered nose or wedge-shaped member 47 which is attached to the arms 18on the carriage 17 by means of the elongated suspension arm 46 andbrackets 46. This arm 46 can be made in the form of a casting orforging. When the suspension arm '46 is in the form of a casting orforging, it is contemplated that suitable longitudinal recesses willalso be made in the casting or forging for receiving the main bodyportion of the lowermost pinch and bending rolls. This nose piece orwedgeshaped member 47 is adapted to be thrust into the last wrap of acoil 76 in order to pry the same away from the remainder of the coil. Asthe wedge shaped member 47 is thrust into the last wrap of a coil 76 itnot only forces the last wrap of coil away from the main body portion ofthe coil, but in addition, it also forces the last wrap or free tailportion of the coil along its entire Width between the group ofcooperating rolls 36. This group of rolls includes the several pinchrolls 37 and 38 as well as the bending rolls 39 and 46.

All of the aforesaid rolls are positively driven, roll 37 beingconnected to the gears in gear box 20 by means of thefiexible coupling51', roll 38 by means of the flexible coupling roll 39 by means offlexible coupling 52, and roll 40 by means of similar flexible coupling(not shown).

All of the gears in box 20, which are driving gears, are driven bymeansof the pulley 28 attached to shaft 29, which pulley in turn, as statedbefore, is connected by the pulley chain 27 to the pulley 25 connectedto 'shaft 26, 'thru gear reducer 23, which is driven ultimately by thefnOtOr 21.

Bearing blocks 42 and 44 for roll 37 are fastened at "their upper edgesto the internally threaded hollow rods 48 and 49, respectively. Theadjusting screws 50 and "51 fit within these rods at their lowerextremities. The upper extremities of screws 50 and 51 are attached tothe bevel gears 52 and 53. These gears in turn are adapted to mesh withthe bevel gears 54 and 55 connected to the rod 56 horizontally mountedon the carriage 17. A handwheel -57 is also attached to rod 56. Byturning this handwheel, minute adjustments of the pinch rolls 37 and 38can be made after the pinch rolls 37 and 38 are. initially closed andthe top bending roll 39 is seated adjacent the bottom bending roll 40 inthe depression 39 in suspension arm 46 adjacent the nose piece 47, bymeans ofthe adjusting mechanism 60.

This'adjus'ting mechanism 60 includes a pair of hydraulically operatedcylinders 61 connected by suitable means (not shown) to the carriage 17.Piston rods 62 are adapted to reciprocate in these cylinders and thefree ends of these piston rods are affixed to the longithe upper rolls37 and 39 from carriage 17 and cross bars 64, may be attached to framemember 63. Cross bars 64 and 65 and the bracket members 66 and 67 mayalso be used for mounting the adjusting screws 50 and 51 and in turnroll 37 on carriage 17, and rod '56 to which the handwheel 57 isattached can be mounted on certain of these cross bars 64 and 65. Thebearing blocks for roll 39 may be afiixed by any suitable means to theframe member 63.

'It will now be obvious that the screw-down mechanism or device 60 canbe used to adjust the depth of the top bending roll 39 with respect tobending roll 40. The depth of this former roll must be adjusted withrespect to roll 40 to remove the coil set for the various tempers andgauges of material engaged by the tail pulling mechanism so that as thetail on the metal is pulled it will remain approximately flat, and leavethe tail pulling device in substantially a horizontal plane as indicatedin Figure 5.

The means for operating the adjusting mechanism 66 comprises a hydraulicpump 30 mounted on the movable carriage 17. This pump receives liquidfrom a tank -31 and then discharges fluid through a suitable hydraulicsystem into the hydraulic cylinders 61 within which the piston rods 62are adapted to reciprocate.

Attached to the movable carriage 17 adjacent the forward portion thereofis a face plate 70 and a lug mem ber 71 protrudes from the central lowerportion of this plate.

The aforesaid tail pulling device, including frame 10 and carriage 17,is disposed adjacent a suitable coil and down ending device 81, anexample of which is indicated in Figures 1a, 2a and 6. This down endingdevice 81 is locatedin a suitable depression 82 in the floor 2 of therolling mill in such a way that when the down ending device is operatedto place the axis of the coil 76 in a horizontal plane, the verticalcenter line of the coil will be aligned with the vertical center line ofa metal working apparatus such as a rolling mill 75 to which the coil isto be fed. This down ending device comprised of coil cradle 78 ismounted within the depression 82 in the floor 2 of the building on asuitable framework 83 to which is attached a plurality of upstandingbracket members 84 for mounting the flanged rollers 85.

The coil cradle 78 is generally comprised of a pair of spaced arcuatemembers 86, which engage the flanged rollers 85. These arcuate membersare provided with small arcuate lip portions 87 and 87 at each extremitythereof, which serve as stops, when the arcuate members or sections arerotated during the operation of the coil cradle 78. Suitable bridgingmembers 88 are located at predetermined spaced points between each ofthe arcuate members 86. A platform 89 is also movably mounted on thecoil cradle and it bridges the space between the arcuate members 86.Platform 89 is provided with a plurality of aligned freely rotating andcoil engaging rollers 90.

As indicated particularly in Figures la, 2a and 6, the lower portion ofthe plate 89 is attached at each side thereof to a suitable roller 91.These rollers are adapted to travel in suitable guides 92 aflixed to thearcuate members 86 of the coil cradle 81 by means of the gusset plates93. The back portion of platform 89 also has a plurality of adjustingscrews 94 aflixed thereto. These screws are adapted to be inserted insprocket wheels 94 journaled on the cross frame members 95'. All of thesprocket wheels 94 are linked together by an endless chain 95, which isoperated by a main sprocket wheel or pulley 96 attached to shaft 97driven by motor 98 through the medium of gears (not shown) located ingear box 98'. A suitable limit switch mechanism 97' may also beconnected to shaft 97 if desired.

It will now be obvious that when the coil cradle 78 is down ended by anysuitable mechanism well known in the art and not shown since it forms nocritical part of the invention, the arcuate members 86 will be movedalong the rollers 85 until the axis of the coil is located along ahorizontal plane as indicated in the several figures of the drawings. Atthis time also, platform 89 can be adjusted by means of the screws 94 sothat the vertical center line of the coil after it has been down endedcan be located along the center line of the apparatus to which the coilis to be fed, such as, for example, the rolling mill 75. The use ofadjustable platform 89 also makes it possible to adjust the coil withthe mill 75 for the varying widths of material from which the coil mightbe made up.

Also suitably attached to the coil cradle 78 between the arcuate members86 is a pair of cradle rolls 100, these rolls being journaled insuitable bearing members 101 and 102. Rollers 100 can be raised orlowered so that the down ending device can be operated to accommodatevarious diameters of coils through the medium of the hydraulic cylinder103 dependingly attached by suitable means to the coil cradle 78, withinwhich a suitable piston rod 104 is adapted to be reciprocated. Thispiston rod in turn is connected at its free end by a flexible coupling105 to the platform 105 upon which the bearing members for rolls 100 aremounted.

These cradle rolls 100 also act as the primary support ing means for thecoil after it has been down ended by the down ending device 81, whilethe platform 89 serves as the primary supporting surface for the coilwhen the coil is located in an up-ended position having initially beenplaced on the down ending apparatus in this position by a suitable coiltransfer device.

Means are also provided for rotating the cradle rolls such as anelectric motor 106, which drives a suitable chain 107 or pulley beltconnected directly to the cradle rolls 100. Motor 106 is advantageouslyprovided with a suitable clutch arrangement (not shown) so as to permitfree wheeling of the rolls 100 when a coil is rotated while motor 106 isnot in operation. For example, it is contemplated that the loose wrapson a coil will be removed by the positive operation of rolls 100 whenthey are driven by motor 106. Thereafter, as the tail of the coil isplayed out from the remainder of the coil and threaded through thebending rolls of the tail pulling device, the main part of the coil willstill remain on the rolls 100 and the motor 106 at this time isinoperative. Consequently, it is necessary for properly playing out theloosened tail portion of the coil that rolls 100 be still free to rotateas the coil is rotated. Otherwise, if the rolls remained stationary theywould resist rotation of the coil when the loosened tail portion is fedto the bending rolls of the tail pulling device. Located adjacent thecoil tail pulling device and coil cradle 78 is a coil kick-off devicewell known in the art and comprised of the hydraulically operated roll108, which is employed for moving the coil ofi of the cradle rolls 100at the desired time.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the coil cradle 78 isprovided with a backing plate 151 located at the top thereof. A slot 150is located within this backing plate. Slot 150 is employed so as toprovide an opening in the coil cradle device for receiving the lockinglug 71 afiixed to carriage 17 adjacent the wedge shaped member 47.

As indicated in Figures 2, 2a and 6, the preferred embodiment of theinvention further contemplates that a suitable lateral shearingmechanism be located adjacent the coil tail pulling device and inbetween the coil tail pulling device and the apparatus to which the coilis being fed, this shearing mechanism being designated by the numeral110. This shearing device is generally comprised of the elongatedframework 111, which is located in spaced and parallel relationship tothe upstanding framework 10 for the tail pulling device. This frame 111is provided with a suitable trackway or guideway 112 within which theupper flanged portion 113 of the housing 114 for the cooperating rotaryshears 115 and 116 is adapted to travel. The free end of a piston rod118, which is adapted to reciprocate in a hydraulic cylinder 119,rigidly attached to the framework 110, is also connected to the housing114 for the rotary shears 115 and 116.

Dependingly aifixed to the lower portions of the guideway 112 on frame111 is a horizontally disposed toothed rack 120. This rack is adapted tobe contacted by the teeth of a pinion gear 120 journaled in housing 114.Gear 120 in turn meshes with the gear 121 journaled on a shaft 122 towhich the upper rotating shear 115 is also connected. Gear 121 also isadapted to mesh with gear 123 mounted on shaft 124 to which the lowerrotary shear 116 is afiixed. Accordingly, it will now be observed thatas the housing 114 for the shears is moved forward along trackway 112,the pinion gear 120 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction bymeans of the rack 120 when the carriage 114 is moved forward with theseveral gears 121 and 123 in turn being rotated in a clockwise andcounterclockwise direction, respectively, in such a fashion that theproper rotary motion will thereby be imparted to the rotary shears orknives 115 and 116. When the carriage is moved backward, the motion ofall the above gears will, of course, be reversed. Thus, the knives willrotate as a result of the forward and backward horizontal motion of thehousing 114,v as it is driven by the pistonrod 118 operating. In thepreferred embodiment ofin the cylinder 119. the invention, it iscontemplated. thatthe pitch diameter of the rotary knives or shears 116and 115 be slightly larger than the pitch diameter of the gears. This inturn will give the rotary shears a function wherein the shears will tendto pull the material being cut into the knives, after it has first beenthreaded throughthe tail pulling device and fed to the shears. The pointof peripheral contact between the shears 115 and 116 is also preferablylocated on a horizontal line which is parallei to the top of the coiland the horizontal center line of the rolls in the case of a rollingmill. It is also contemplated that a suitable scrap collecting.receptacle may be afiixed to the housing 114 for collecting the scrapmetal sheared from the coil 76.

The operation of the tail pulling mechanism and related apparatus isasfollows: The coil is placed upon the down ending device in an up-endedcondition after which, as indicated in the various figures, the downending device 81 is rotated so that the end of the coil will be restingagainst the series of rollers 90 and directly upon the cradle rolls 100in such a fashion that the axis of the coil is located in a horizontalplane. Platform 89 along with its rollers 98 is then adjusted by meansof the screws 94 so that the vertical center line of the coil, after ithas been down ended, is aligned with the vertical center line of theapparatus to which the coil is to-be fed.

At this juncture, the cradle rolls 100 are driven positively by means ofthe motor 106 so that the coil may be rotated to eliminate any loosenessin the wrappings of the coil after which the coil is then furtherrotated if necessary so that it will assume a position where the lastwrap or tail portion of thecoil is located approximately at the top ofthe coil where it can be conveniently engaged by the tail. pullingdevice. The coil is then elevated the necessary amount on the cradlerolls by means of the hydraulic cylinder and piston 163 and 104 un tilthe outside wrap is brought in line with the piercing nose piece orwedge-shaped member 47 on the tail puller. When in this position, if thegap left in the outside wrap is not quite wide enough to permit thepiercing nose or wedge-shaped member to enter, the operator may then prya gap open with a bar to permit the entry of the piercing nose betweenthe outside wrap and the remainder of the coil proper. In mostinstances, however, the coil will have been initially wrapped in such away that a small set or crimp will be placed in the sheet near the tailend of the coil which will prevent the tail of the coil from nestlingclose to the main body of coil, and thereby leaving an adequate spacefor the nose 47 of the tail pulling device to enter the coil. At thistime, the carriage 17 of the tail pulling device is operated and movedforward so that the piercing nose 47 will move through the coil betweenthe last wrap on the coil and the coil proper until the nose enters aslot 159 in the backing plate 151 located at the top of the coil cradle78. The wedge shaped member 47 is moved axially along and across theentire width of the coil adjacent the free tail portion thereof in sucha manner that the wedge shaped member 47 will be inserted between thefree tail portion of the coil and the remainder of the coil. During themovement of wedge shaped member 47 in this manner, it not onlydisengages the free tail portion of the coil, but in addition, it alsoacts to force the tail portion of the coil along its entire widthbetween the group of cooperating rolls 36, which includes the pinchrolls 37 and 38 and the bending rolls 39 and 40. It will also be notedby referring to Figures la and 6, that the slot 150 is narrowed at thetop. This is to provide an opening for receiving the locking lug 71located adjacent the piercing nose 47 on the tail pulling apparatus.When the elongated locking lug '71 is inserted within the upper part ofthe slot 150 as indicated in Figure 1a and. Figure 2a in, the downending device, the tail pulling mechanism will be securely locked tothedown ending device 81-50 that any separating force on the bending rollscaused, for example, bythe strip ma-, terial being threaded therebetweenwill be resisted by this locking lug located in the slot and thus itwill. be impossible to separate the two devices during the tail pullingoperation. With the tail pulling device and coil cradle device in theaforesaid positions, the tail of the. strip will now be resting betweenthe two pinch rolls and the two bending rolls on the tail pullingdevice, it

being understood, of course, that the pinch rolls have been previouslyclosed against the strip by means of the hydraulic cylinders and pistons61 and 62 and the bending rolls, with the pinch rolls being furtheradjusted if necessary by means of the screw down mechanism re-- ferredto above. At this time also'the top bending roll 39 is properly nestledbetween the pinch roll 38 and bending roll 40. As indicated above, it isnecessary that the top bending roll 39 be adjusted in this manner toremove the coil set for the various tempers and gauges of material andit should be so adjusted that when the tail is pulled on the coil itwill remain approximately flat as it is peeled off of the coil. Pressurebetween the bending rolls and the top pinch roll which has been createdby the hydraulic cylinder pistons 61 and 62 andv can be made furtheradjustable by regulating pressure on-the hydraulic system used tooperate these pistons, all of which operations will, of course, dependon the results desired. All of the aforesaid rolls are positively drivenby means of the motor 21. As the pinch rolls are driven they will feed apredetermined amount of coil outward, for example, two feet from thetail pulling device at which time the rotary shearing device is thenoperated topass across the strip and'trim this two foot piece. Anadditional two feet can be fed if necessary into the shear by furtherrotating the pinch rolls 37 and 38 and the rotary shears can be operatedto cut oif anotherpiece of metal from the strip. This cutting oil may becontinued until a square end of the proper gauge is formed on theleading edge of the sheet, so that this edge of the sheet will then bein proper condition for entry into the metal. working apparatus. At thistime, the rotary shears are retracted out of the way and a long tail ofmetal is fed out by further rotating the pinch rolls 37 and 38. When thetail of the sheet is moved out from the coil tail pulling device and fedto a mill, it iscustomary in the rolling mill art to first thread thestrip through a suitable take-up mechanism such as a bridle rollassembly located immediately adjacent the mill as indicated in dottedlines in Figure 6. After a sufficient amount of sheet material has beenplayed out and threaded in the bridle roll assembly 160, the piercingnose 47 and carriage 17 is moved axially out of contact with the coil,and the coil may then be lowered to an unloading position, if necessary,as for example in the case of where a coil with a small diameter isunwrapped, since in this instance the coil would have had to beinitially elevated for the original piercing operation by the nose 47 ofthe tail pulling device. Thereafter, the coil may be kicked out of thedown ender 81 by means of roll 108 and across the several rollerplatforms 161 and 162 into the cradle 163 indicated in Figure 6, itbeing understood also that as the coil is moved away from the down endersufiicient tension is exerted on the loosed wraps of the coil by thebridle roll assembly 160 to prevent buckling of these loosed wraps.

In addition, after the tail has been initially received between thepinch rolls and bending rolls of the coil tail pulling device referredto aboveduring the first part of the tail pulling operation, thepreferred embodiment. of the invention contemplates that the coil willat that time be lowered if necessary to the bottom position indicated inFigure 6' where it is then ready for kicking into the 9 mill while thetail is being pulled by the pinch rolls and bending rolls.

It will be noted also that the sheet material is threaded into anotherdevice such as a rolling mill in such a way that the coil is uncoiledtangentially therefrom in a straight line, that is to say, the stripmaterial is unrolled from the remainder of the coil in such a way thatit projects outwardly therefrom in a straight line, while also beingtangent thereto. This means that there is no unnecessary crimping orbending of the coil, which would otherwise destroy certain portions ofthe coil and render them useless for all commercial purposes. In feedinga straight line of coil or strip material to the mill, the bending rollsare also advantageously used to remove the coil set for the varioustempers and gauges of the ma terial and they are so adjusted that thetail which is pulled on the metal will always remain approximately flatand be properly fed to the mill along the horizontal center linethereof. This has not always been possible with the various tail pullingmechanisms devised in the past.

By moving the tapered piercing nose 47 of the tail pulling devicehorizontally and axially with respect to the coil in such a Way that thenose will move the entire width of the coil, while passing under theentire width of the outside wrap of the coil, it is obvious that theentire tail piece will be loosened from the coil. The tapered nose piece47 located adjacent to the forward end of the bending and pinch rollsalso insures proper entry of the tail of the coil therebetween.

Furthermore, by moving this nose piece 47 along the entire width of thecoil in the manner proposed and thereby forcing the entire width of thecoil between the group of rolls 36, the tail of the coil along itsentire width is freed from the coil and is advantageously placed in theproper position for the feeding of the same to the metal working device75.

in this way, no longitudinal creases or folds are placed in theunwrapped tail portions of the coil and the smooth surface of the stripmetal is maintained along its entire width.

It is obvious that other types of apparatus besides the specificshearing device 110 and the coil down-ending device 81 shown in thedrawings can be utilized in conjunction with the novel tail pullingdevice for carrying out the steps proposed of unwrapping a coil andthereafter placing the freed tail portion of the coil, which thenbecomes the leading edge of the coil, in the proper condition andposition for entry into a metal working device such as a rolling mill.

An advantageous embodiment of the invention has been herein disclosedand described. It is obvious that various changes and modifications maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof asdefined by the appended claims, wherein what is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for unwrapping a coil of strip metal,

the combination of a carriage movable axially along and across theentire width of a coil, a plurality of cooperating rolls mounted uponthe said carriage, a wedge-shaped member mounted upon the said carriageadjacent theforward end portions of said rolls, and means for movingsaid carriage axially along and across the entire width of said coiladjacent the free tail portion thereof in such a manner that the saidwedge-shaped member will be inserted between the free tail portion ofthe said coil and the remainder of the coil so as to first disengage thefree tail portion of the coil and thereafter force said tail portionalong its entire width between said cooperating rolls.

2. The combination of claim 1 including means for driving said rolls.

3. The combination of claim 1 including means for adjusting said rollswith respect to one another.

4. An apparatus for unwrapping a coil of strip metal, comprising thecombination of a carriage movable axially of a coil, a plurality ofcooperating rolls rotatably mounted upon the said carriage, the axis ofall of said rolls being located parallel to each other in a horizontalplane, a wedge-shaped member mounted upon the said carriage adjacent theforward end portions of said rolls, and means for moving said carriageand said rolls and wedgeshaped member axially along and across theentire width of said coil adjacent the free tail portion thereof in sucha manner that the said wedge-shaped member will be inserted between thefree tail portion of the coil and the remainder thereof so as todisengage said free tail portion of said coil from the remainder of said:coil and thereafter cause said free tail portion along its entire widthto be passed between said cooperating rolls.

5. The combination of claim 4 including means for rotating said rolls.

6. An apparatus for unwrapping a coil of strip metal, comprising thecombination of a carriage movable axially of and across the entire widthof the coil, a plurality of cooperating rolls mounted lengthwise of saidcarriage, a wedge-shaped member mounted upon said carriage adjacent theforward ends of the said rolls, means for moving said carriage forwardaxially along and across the entire width of the coil adjacent the freetail portion thereof in such a manner that said wedge-shaped member willbe inserted between the free tail portion of the coil and the remainderthereof so as to disengage said free tail portion from the remainder ofsaid coil and thereafter force said tail portion along its entire widthbetween the said cooperating rolls, and means for holding said carriagein a fixed position above said coil after said carriage has been movedacross the entire Width of the coil.

7. The combination of claim 6 including means for driving the saidcooperating rolls. 8. The combination of claim 6 including means foradjusting said rolls with respect to one another.

9. In an apparatus for unwrapping a coil of strip metal,

the combination of a carriage movable axially along and across theentire width of the coil, a plurality of pinch rolls mounted lengthwiseof said carriage, a wedge-shaped member mounted upon said carriageadjacent the forward ends of said rolls, and means for moving saidcarriage forward axially along and across the entire width of the coiladjacent the free tail portion thereof in such a manner that saidwedge-shaped member will be inserted between the free tail portion ofthe coil and the remainder thereof so as to disengage said free tailportion from the remainder of said coil and thereafter force said tailportion along its entire width axially along and between said pinchrolls.

10. An apparatus for unwrapping a coil of strip metal comprising thecombination of a carriage movable axially along the entire width of thecoil, a plurality of bending rolls mounted lengthwise of said carriage,a wedgeshaped member mounted upon said carriage adjacent the forwardends of said rolls, and means for moving said carriage forward axiallyalong and across the entire width of the coil adjacent the free tailportion thereof in such a manner that said wedge-shaped member will beinserted between the free tail portion of the coil and the remainderthereof so as to disengage said free tail portion from the remainder ofsaid coil and thereafter force said tail portion along its entire widthaxially along and between said bending rolls.

11. An apparatus for unwrapping a coil of strip metal, comprising thecombination of a carriage, a plurality of pinch rolls mounted lengthwiseof said carriage, a plurality of bending rolls also mounted lengthwiseof said carriage in spaced relationship with and parallel to said pinchrolls, a wedge-shaped member mounted upon said carriage adjacent theforward ends of all of said rolls and means for moving said carriageforward axially along and across the entire width of the coil adjacentthe free tail portion thereof in such a manner that said wedgeshapedmember will be inserted between the free tail portion ofthe coil and theremainder thereof so as to disengage said free tail portion from theremainder of said 11. coil and; thereafter force saidv tail portion.axially alongits entire width between allof the said rolls.

. 12.. In an apparatus for unwrapping a coil of. strip metal, thecombination of a carriage, a plurality of pinch rolls mounted lengthwiseof said carriage, a plurality ofsbending rolls. also mounted lengthwiseof said carriage in spaced. relationship withand parallel to said pinchrolls,.. a. wedge-shaped member mounted upon said carriage adjacent theforward ends of all of said rolls, means for moving said carriageforward axially along and across the entire width of the coil adjacentthe free tail portion thereof in such a manner that saidwedge-shapedmember will be inserted between the free tail portion of thecoil and the remainder thereof so as to disengage said free tail portionfrom the remainder of said coil and thereafter force. said tail portionaxially along its entire width and between all of the said rolls, meansfor rotating the said rolls and means for adjusting thesaid pinchrollswith respect to each other and said bending rolls withrespect to eachother.

13. An apparatus for unwrapping a coil of strip metal, comprising thecombination of a carriage, a wedge-shaped member mounted upon thecarriage adjacent the forward end thereof and parallel to thelongitudinal axis thereof, meansfor moving said carriage and saidwedge-shaped member axially along the entire width of the coil adjacentthe free tailportion thereof, whereby said wedgeshaped member will bemade to slide between the said free tail portion of the coil along theentire width of the coil so as to disengage the free tail portion of thecoil along its entire width from the remainder of the coil, and meansfor receiving and holding the freed tail portion of the coil along itsentire width after it has been disengaged. from said coil.

14. The combination claimed in claim 13 including means for locking saidcarriage and saidwedge-shaped member against further movement after saidcarriage and wedge-shaped member have passed between the free tailportion ofthe. coil and the remainder of the coil along the entire widthof the coil and while said coil is being received and engaged by saidlast mentioned means.

15. In an apparatusfor unwrapping a coil. of strip metal, comprising thecombination of a member for engaging andremoving the free tail portionof the coil from the remainder of the coil together with means formoving said:tailengagingmember into and out of contact with said freetail portion of the coil, the improvement comprising a carriage, awedge-shaped member mounted upon the forward end of the said carriage,means for moving said carriage and said wedge-shaped member axiallyalong the entire width of said coil adjacent the free tail portionthereof whereby said wedge-shaped member will be made to slide along theentire width of the coil and between the free tail portion and theremainder of the coil thereby disengaging the said free tail portion ofthe coil fromthe remainder of the coil, and means for receiving andholding the freed tail portion of thecoil along its entire width afterit has been disengaged from. the-coil.

16. In an apparatus for unwrapping a coil of strip metal, comprising thecombination of a member for engaging and removing the free tail portionof the coil from the remainder of the coil together with means formoving said tail engaging member into and out of contact with said freetail portion, the improvement comprising a carriage, a plurality ofcooperating rolls mounted upon the said carriage parallel to thelongitudinal axis thereof, a wedge-shaped member mounted upon the saidcarriage adjacent the forward end portions of said rolls, and means formoving said carriage axially along the entire width of said coiladjacent the free tail portion thereof in-such a manner that saidwedge-shaped member will be made to slide axially across the entirewidth of the coil and between the free tail portion and the remainder ofthe coil thereby disengaging the said free tail portion of the coil fromthe remainder of. the coil and forcing said disengaged tail portionaxially along and between said cooperating rolls. l

17. The improvement claimed in claim 16 including means for locking saidrolls and wedge-shaped member in position adjacent the outer peripheryof the coil during the initial unwrapping thereof.

18. The improvement claimed in claim 16 including means for rotatingsaid cooperating rolls.

19. A method of unwrapping a coil of strip metal, comprising the stepsof rotating said coil until the outer peripheral free tail portionthereof has been placed in a readily accessible position, then moving aninclined surface axially along and across the. entire width of the saidcoil and in between the free tail portion of said coil and the remainderof the coil, so as to cause said free tail portion along its entirewidth to be pried continuously and evenly away from the remainder of thecoil along a straight line parallel to the axis of the coil, and thencontinuing the unwrapping of the coil by rotating said coil whiledirecting the unwrapped portions of the coil away from the coil along astraight line tangential to the outer periphery of the coil, andsimultaneously tensioning said unwrapped portions.

20. A method of unwrapping a coil of strip metal, comprising the stepsof rotating said coil until the outer peripheral free tail portionthereof has been placed in a readily accessible position, then moving aninclined surface axially along and across the entire width of the saidcoil and in between the said free tail portion of the coil and theremainder of the coil, prying said free tail portion along its entirewidth away continuously and evenly and in a straight line from theremainder of the coil and then moving said loosened tail portion to aposition between a plurality of flat endless and rotatable surfaces.

21. A method of unwrapping a coil of strip metal, comprising the stepsof continuously moving an inclined surface axially of and in a straightline across the entire width of the said coil and in between the saidfree tail portion and the remainder of the coil so as to disengage saidfree tail portion from the remainder of said coil and immediatelythereafter directing said loosened tail portion for its entire widthaxially along and between a plurality of endless and rotatablecooperating surfaces.

22. A method of unwrapping a coil of strip metal and preparing saidstrip metal for proper entry into a metal working device, comprising thesteps of continuously moving an inclined surface axially of and in astraight line across the entire width of said coil and in betweenthesaid free tail portion and the remainder of the coil thereby causingsuccessive portions of said free tail portion along its entire width tobe pried away from the remainder of the coil along a line parallel tothe axis of the coil and immediately thereafter to be inserted between aplurality of endless rotatable and cooperating surfaces, moving saidfreed tail portion between said cooperating surfaces and away from saidsurfaces in a'straight horizontal line, and cutting the freed tailportion along a straight line parallel with the axis of the coil so asto produce a uniform and true straight edge on the said freed tailportion, while maintaining said freed tail portion in a proper positionfor entry into a metal working device.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,943,748 Talbot Ian. 16, 1934 2,070,444 Mikaelson et al. Feb. 9, 19372,140,928 Talbot et al. Dec. 20, 1938 2,266,067 Nyberg Dec. 16, 19412,280,564 Wilson Apr. 21, 1942 2,494,399 McCleary Ian. 10, 1950

